System and method in a broadband receiver for efficiently receiving and processing signals

ABSTRACT

A system and method in a broadband receiver (e.g., a satellite television receiver) for efficiently receiving and processing signals, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/326,125 filed Dec. 14, 2011 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,055,329 and isrelated to and claims priority from provisional patent application Ser.No. 61/487,979 filed May 19, 2011, and titled “EFFICIENT ARCHITECTUREFOR BROADBAND RECEIVERS,” the contents of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety. Each of the above identifieddocuments is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Present broadband receivers, for example those utilized in satellitetelevision systems, are unnecessarily complex and utilize bandwidthinefficiently. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional andtraditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such systems with the present invention as setforth in the remainder of the present application with reference to thedrawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present invention provide a system and method ina broadband receiver (e.g., a satellite television receiver) forefficiently receiving and processing signals, substantially as shown inand/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as setforth more completely in the claims. These and other advantages, aspectsand novel features of the present invention, as well as details ofillustrative aspects thereof, will be more fully understood from thefollowing description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a satellite television system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a satellite television system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a satellite television system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system, inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary communication systemcomprising a broadband receiver system, in accordance with variousaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary full-band capturereceiver, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary full-band capturereceiver, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary polyphase channelizer, inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for receivinga broadband signal, in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

The following discussion will refer to various modules, componentsand/or circuits. Such modules, components and/or circuits may generallycomprise hardware and/or a combination of hardware and software (e.g.,including firmware). Such modules may also, for example, comprise acomputer readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory medium) comprisinginstructions (e.g., software instructions) that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform various functional aspects ofthe present invention. Accordingly, the scope of various aspects of thepresent invention should not be limited by characteristics of particularhardware and/or hardware/software implementations of a module, componentor circuit unless explicitly claimed as such. For example and withoutlimitation, various aspects of the present invention may be implementedby one or more processors (e.g., a microprocessor, digital signalprocessor, baseband processor, microcontroller, etc.) executing softwareinstructions (e.g., stored in volatile and/or non-volatile memory). Alsofor example, various aspects of the present invention may be implementedby an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) and/or otherhardware components.

Additionally, the following discussion will refer to various functionalmodules (e.g., communication modules, signal processing modules, etc.).It should be noted that the following discussion of such various modulesis segmented into such modules for the sake of illustrative clarity.However, in actual implementation, the boundaries between variousmodules may be blurred. For example, any or all of the functionalmodules discussed herein may share various hardware and/or softwarecomponents. For example, any or all of the functional modules discussedherein may be implemented wholly or in-part by a shared processorexecuting software instructions. Additionally, various softwaresub-modules that may be executed by one or more processors may be sharedbetween various software modules. Accordingly, the scope of variousaspects of the present invention should not be limited by arbitraryboundaries between various hardware and/or software components, unlessexplicitly claimed.

The following discussion may also refer to communication networks andvarious aspects thereof. For the following discussion, a communicationnetwork is generally the communication infrastructure through which adevice (e.g., a portable communication device, television, televisioncontrol device, television provider, television programming provider,television receiver, video recording device, set top box, networkcontroller, satellite dish circuitry, etc.) may communicate with otherdevices. For example and without limitation, a communication network maycomprise a cable and/or satellite television communication network, acellular communication network, a wireless metropolitan area network(WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN), any home or premises communication network (e.g., anin-home coaxial cable television communication network), etc. Aparticular communication network may, for example, generally have acorresponding communication protocol according to which a communicationdevice may communicate with the communication network. Unless soclaimed, the scope of various aspects of the present invention shouldnot be limited by characteristics of a particular type of communicationnetwork.

Turning first to FIG. 1, such figure is a diagram illustrating asatellite television system 100. The exemplary system 100 comprises apremises 108 (e.g., a home, building, office, etc.). External to thepremises 108 is a satellite dish system 105, comprising a satellite dish106, feed horn 107, and low noise block downconverter (LNB) 110, whichwill be discussed in more detail below. The satellite dish system 105outputs one or more IF analog signals and communicates such signals intothe premises 108 over one or more cables 120 (e.g., coaxial cables) toan in-home device 130 (e.g., a satellite set top box, an in-homemultiswitch, etc.). The in-home device 130 may be connected to anin-home communication network 140.

Turning next to FIG. 2, such figure is a diagram illustrating anexemplary satellite television system 200. The exemplary system 200 may,for example, comprise a low noise block downconverter (LNB) 210 (e.g.,as illustrated at item 110 in FIG. 1), which generally operates toamplify a received RF satellite signal and convert such signal to lowerfrequencies (e.g., intermediate frequencies (or IF)). The LNB 210 istypically collocated with a satellite dish at a satellite dish system(e.g., as illustrated at the satellite dish system 105 of FIG. 1). Forexample, the LNB 210 may be mounted to the satellite dish, share a samegeneral structure with the satellite dish, etc.

Such a system 200 may, for example, be implemented in a manner thatreceives a plurality of bands. Such implementation may, for example,arise when a satellite dish is receiving signals from multiple orbitalslots. In such a configuration, the LNB 210 may output a plurality of IFsignals over a plurality of respective cables 220 (e.g., coaxialcables). Each of such a plurality of IF signals may, for example, covera broadband frequency range (e.g., from 950 MHz to 2150 MHz).

Such a plurality of cables 220 may, for example, terminate (e.g., in thehome or other customer premises (CP)) at a network multi-switch 230. Themulti-switch 230 may, for example, reside in the customer premises(e.g., in a customer home). Such a multi-switch 230 (e.g., individuallyand/or combined with a receiver) is an example of the in-home device 130of FIG. 1. The multi-switch 230 may, for example, direct particular IFsignals to one or more respective receivers. For illustrative clarity,the system 200 is only shown with a single in-home set top box (STB) 235receiving a signal from the multi-switch 230. The in-home set top box235 may then select channels from the IF signal(s), where such channelshave for example been specified by the provider (and/or customer), andcombine such selected channels in an output for communication on a homenetwork 240.

The exemplary system 200 of FIG. 2 suffers from having a plurality ofcables 220 coupling the LNB 210, which is generally outside a premises(e.g., outside a customer home) with satellite receiver circuitrylocated inside a premises.

Turning next to FIG. 3, such figure is a diagram illustrating asatellite television system 300. The exemplary system 300 may, forexample, comprise a low noise block downconverter (LNB) 310 (e.g., asillustrated at item 110 in FIG. 1), which generally operates to amplifya received RF satellite signal and convert such signal to lowerfrequencies (e.g., intermediate frequencies (or IF)). The LNB 310 istypically collocated with a satellite dish at a satellite dish system(e.g., as illustrated at the satellite dish system 105 of FIG. 1).

Such a system 300 may, for example, be implemented in a manner thatreceives a plurality of bands. Such implementation may, for example,arise when a satellite dish is receiving signals from multiple orbitalslots. In such a configuration, the LNB 310 may output a plurality of IFsignals. In comparison with the system 200 illustrated in FIG. 2, whichcommunicates the plurality of IF signals over a plurality of respectivecables 220, the system 300 of FIG. 3 comprises a single wire module(SWM) 315, communicatively coupled to the LNB 310, that processes theplurality of IF signals from the LNB 310 (e.g., frequency shifting or“channel-stacking” such IF signals) to combine the IF signals (e.g.,selected portions thereof) onto a single cable (e.g., a coaxial cable).Such SWM 315 may, for example, comprise a channel stacking switch toperform such functionality. In such a configuration, the SWM 315 mayoutput the stacked IF signals over a cable 320 (e.g., a coaxial cable).

Such a cable 320 may, for example, terminate (e.g., in the home or othercustomer premises (CP)) at a set top box (STB) 330. The STB 330 may, forexample, reside in the customer premises (e.g., in a customer home).Such a set top box 330 is an example of the in-home device 130 ofFIG. 1. The STB 330 may then, for example, communicate selected channelsover a home network 340 to various other devices (e.g., televisiondevices, media content storage devices, personal computing devices,etc.).

Though the exemplary system 300 of FIG. 3 eliminates the multiple IFcables of the system 200 of FIG. 2, such system 300 suffers from havingthe SWM 315, which is a relatively expensive component that consumes arelatively large amount of power.

Turning next to FIG. 4, such figure is a diagram illustrating asatellite television system 400. The exemplary system 400 may, forexample, comprise a low noise block downconverter (LNB) 410, whichgenerally operates to amplify a received RF satellite signal and convertsuch signal to lower frequencies (e.g., intermediate frequencies (orIF)). The LNB 410 is typically collocated with a satellite dish at asatellite dish system (e.g., as illustrated at the satellite dish system105 of FIG. 1).

Such a system 400 may, for example, be implemented in a manner thatreceives a plurality of bands. Such implementation may, for example,arise when a satellite dish is receiving signals from multiple orbitalslots. In such a configuration, the LNB 410 may generate and/or output aplurality of IF signals. In comparison with the system 200 illustratedin FIG. 2 which communicates the plurality of IF signals over aplurality of respective cables 220, the system 400 of FIG. 4 comprises abroadband multichannel receiver (BMR) 415 that processes the pluralityof IF signals received from the LNB 410 and outputs a digital signal(e.g., a digital Internet Protocol (IP) signal) that communicatesselected channels (e.g., over a single cable 420, over multiple cables420 numbering less than the number of IF signals from the LNB 410,etc.). The discussion of FIG. 5 below, and subsequent figures, willinclude detailed discussion of the BMR 415 (which, when combined withthe LNB 410, may also be referred to herein as an IP-LNB 410/415). TheBMR 415 may, for example, be housed with the LNB 410 in a same housing,implemented on a same circuit board as the LNB 410, implemented on asame semiconductor substrate as the LNB 410, implementing on asystem-on-a-chip (SoC) with the LNB 410, etc. Additionally, incomparison with the system 300 illustrated in FIG. 3, which utilizes arelatively expensive and power-hungry SWM 315, the exemplary system 400of FIG. 4 replaces such SWM 315 with a relatively low-cost and energyefficient BMR 415.

As mentioned above, the BMR 415 may output a digital IP signal. Theexemplary system 400 comprises a cable 420 (e.g., a coaxial cable) overwhich the digital IP signal output from the BMR 415 is communicated toan in-home IP network 440 (or in-premises IP network). Such an in-homeIP network 440 may comprise various characteristics, non-limitingexamples of which will now be presented. The network 440 may, forexample, be a cable-based (e.g., a television coaxial cable-based)network. Such an implementation may, for example, utilize an existingin-home cable television network for the communication of IP signals.For example, such a cable-based network 440 may be operated inaccordance with a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) protocol (e.g.,MoCA 1.0, MoCA 1.1, MoCA 2.0, etc.). Also for example, such acable-based network 440 may be operated in accordance with an ITU G.hnstandard (or portion thereof), a HomePNA standard (or portion thereof),etc. In an additional example, the network 440 may be operated inaccordance with an Ethernet standard (e.g., gigabit Ethernet), awireless standard (e.g., 802.11abgn, 802.11ac, etc.), etc. Note that invarious implementations, the BMR 415 may communicate with such In-homeIP Network 440 via a wireless link.

The in-home IP network 440 may, for example, communicatively couple anyof a variety of devices, each of which may in turn be communicativelycoupled to the IP-LNB 410/415. Such devices may, for example, reside inthe user's home.

By way of example and not limitation, the system 400 may comprise an IPset top box (IP-STB) 450 that resides in the home and is communicativelycoupled to the in-home IP network 440. Such an IP-STB 450 may, forexample, communicate directly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or the BMR 415)outside the home. Also for example, the system 400 may comprise atelevision 455 (e.g., an IP-capable television) that resides in the homeand is communicatively coupled to the in-home IP network 440. Such atelevision 455 may, for example, communicate directly with the IP-LNB410/415 (or the BMR 415) outside the home.

Additionally for example, the system 400 may comprise a networkedattached storage (NAS) 475 that resides in the home and iscommunicatively coupled to the in-home IP network 440. Such a NAS 475may, for example, communicate directly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or theBMR 415) outside the home. Note that in various implementations, such aNAS 475 (or another NAS) may reside off-premises (e.g., at a locationremote from the home), and in such case be communicatively coupled tothe IP-LNB 410/415 (or the BMR 415) via the in-home network 440 and oneor more other communication networks (e.g., the Internet).

Also for example, the system 400 may comprise a personal computer 480that is located in the home and is communicatively coupled to thein-home IP network 440 (e.g., directly, via cable modem, via wirelessmodem, etc.). Such personal computer 480 may, for example, communicatedirectly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or the BMR 415) outside the home.Additionally for example, the system 400 may comprise a printer 495 (orother computer peripheral device) that resides in the home and iscommunicatively coupled to the in-home IP network 440. Such a printer495 may, for example, communicate directly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (orthe BMR 415) outside the home (e.g., for the communication of printableinformation and/or scanned information that may be communicated viasatellite, like program guide information, advertisement information,etc.).

Further for example, the system 400 may comprise a wireless access point465 (e.g., a wireless router, for example an access point operating inaccordance with, for example, any of the 802.11 standards, the Bluetoothstandard, a WiMAX standard, a cellular standard, etc.) that is locatedin the home and is communicatively coupled to the in-home IP network 440(e.g., directly, via cable modem, etc.). Such wireless access point 465may, for example, communicate directly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or theBMR 415) outside the home. For example, such wireless access point 465may operate to provide a wireless communication link between the in-homenetwork 440 and a wireless device 467 (e.g., a mobile phone, mobilecomputing device, wireless game controller, personal digital assistant,smart phone, etc.).

Also for example, the system 400 may comprise a camera 470 (e.g., astill and/or moving image camera) that resides in the home and iscommunicatively coupled to the in-home IP network 440. Such a camera 470may, for example, communicate directly with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or theBMR 415) outside the home (e.g., for the communication of still and/ormoving image information that may be communicated via satellite).

Still further for example, the system 400 may comprise any generalIP-Networked Device 460 (e.g., an IP-enabled gaming device, a climatecontrol system, a home security system, or any other IP-enabled device).Such IP-Networked Device may, for example, operate to communicateinformation with the IP-LNB 410/415 (or the BMR 415) via the in-home IPnetwork 440.

The exemplary system 400 is presented to provide non-limiting exemplarycharacteristics of an in-home network comprising an IP-LNB 410/415 inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly,the scope of various aspects of the present invention should not belimited by any of such exemplary characteristics unless explicitlyclaimed.

Turning next to FIG. 5, such figure is a diagram illustrating anexemplary communication system 500 comprising a broadband receiversystem, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.Such system 500 may, for example and without limitation, share any orall aspects with the IP-LNB 410/415 discussed previously with regard tothe exemplary system 400 illustrated in FIG. 4.

The exemplary communication system 500 comprises an LNB 510. Asdiscussed previously, such an LNB 510 generally receives RF satellitesignals at a satellite dish, and filters and amplifies such signals togenerate corresponding IF signals, which are then provided to downstreamentities. The LNB 510 may, for example and without limitation, share anyand all aspects with the LNBs 110, 210, 310 and 410 illustrated in FIGS.1-4 and discussed previously. The LNB 510 is illustrated outputting M(an integer number) of IF signals, labeled s₁ to s_(M). Each of such IFsignals may, for example, comprise IF signals in the 950 MHz to 2150 MHzrange, each of which corresponding to a respective satellite signal(e.g., a satellite television signal).

The exemplary system 500 also comprises a broadband multichannelreceiver (BMR) 515. Such BMR 515 may, for example and withoutlimitation, share any or all aspects with the BMR 415 discussedpreviously with regard to the exemplary system 400 illustrated in FIG.4. Such BMR 515 may, for example, be operable to (e.g., includingoperate to and/or operate when enabled to) process the plurality of IFsignals s₁-s_(M) received from the LNB 510 and output a digital signal(e.g., one or more digital Internet Protocol (IP) signals) thatcommunicates desired channels. For example, a non-limiting exemplaryimplementation of the BMR 515 is illustrated in FIG. 5, and comprises avariety of modules, for example a Full-Band Capture Receiver bank 540,Digital Channelizer 550, N×Demodulator bank 560, IP Bridge 570, andCommunication Interface Module 580 (e.g., an IP communication interfacemodule comprising a MAC and PHY layer for IP networking). Such modulesmay, for example, be implemented in hardware or a combination ofhardware and software.

For example, the BMR 515 may comprise a Full-Band Capture Receiver bank540 (e.g., comprising M full-band capture receivers, FBCR₁-FBCR_(M).Each of such full-band capture receivers may, for example, digitize theentire IF signal contained on a respective input IF signal from the LNB510. In an exemplary satellite implementation, each of such full-bandcapture receivers may, for example, digitize the entire 950 MHz to 2150MHz range of satellite-related content (e.g., media content) on therespective input signal. For example, FBCR₁ may receive analog IF signals₁ from the LNB 510 and digitize the entire IF content of the inputsignal s₁ to generate output signal d₁. In such a manner, the full-bandcapture receiver bank 540 may receive M analog IF signals s₁-s_(M) fromthe LNB 510 and output corresponding digital signals d₁-d_(M).Non-limiting examples of full-band capture receivers will be presentedbelow in FIGS. 6-7 and the respective discussions thereof.

Note that although the full-band capture receiver bank 540 is shown anddiscussed as receiving the M analog IF signals s₁-s_(M) from the LNB510, such signals may be received from a plurality of different sources(e.g., from one or more satellite television sources, from one or morecable television sources, from one or more terrestrial broadcasttelevision sources, etc.). Such full-band capture receiver(s) may, forexample, operate to capture the complete, or substantially complete,spectral band for a particular communication protocol, standard orproprietary (e.g., for a satellite television communication protocol).Also, such full-band capture receiver(s) may, for example, operate tocapture the complete, or substantially complete, respective spectralbands for a plurality of respective communication protocols, standard orproprietary (e.g., for a satellite television communication protocoland/or a cable television communication protocol and/or a terrestrialtelevision communication protocol, etc.).

Note that, depending on the IF bandwidth utilization and/or depending ondesired channels, one or more of the plurality of FBCRs of the FBCR bank540 may be powered down. For example, if a particular FBCR correspondsto a satellite signal that is not presently providing a desired channel,such particular FBCR may be powered down (e.g., until a need for achannel corresponding to the particular FBCR arises). Alternatively, anon-utilized FBCR may also be re-tasked to process another signal (e.g.,a signal corresponding to another orbital slot, a signal correspondingto a different signal source, for example, a different satellite and/orterrestrial broadcast source, etc.). Additionally, an FBCR may alsoreduce its capture bandwidth if the desired channels fall within alimited portion of the full band.

Note that the FBCR bank 540 is an exemplary implementation. Theimplementation of block 540 may alternatively comprise multiplesingle-channel tuners, followed by an analog to digital converter.

The BMR 515 may also comprise a Digital Channelizer (DCC) 550. The DCC550 may, for example, operate to receive the digitized signals d₁-d_(M)output from the FBCR bank 540. The DCC 550 may then, for example,process such received digitized signals d₁-d_(M) (e.g., decimating andfiltering such signals) to select desired channels from the set ofchannels available in the digitized signals d₁-d_(M). As such, the DCC550 may, for example, serve as a crossbar for selecting an arbitrary setof desired channels from among the channels available from one or morebroadband sources.

The DCC 550 may perform such processing in any of a variety of manners.For example and without limitation, the DCC 550 may utilize a polyphasefilter or a block that calculates a running FFT of the receiveddigitized signals d₁-d_(M) and selects a decimated output from each FFTfor further processing. The DCC 550 may, for example, perform switchingand routing operations after performing the above-mentionedFFT/filtering operations, which may, for example, beneficially reducethe speed at which the switching and routing operations need beperformed. A non-limiting example of a polyphase channelizer circuit isshown in FIG. 8.

The further processed output may then, for example, be output on one ormore output lines c₁ (e.g., output on M output lines, each of whichcorresponding to one of the M input signals; multiplexed onto a singleoutput line; multiplexed onto more than one and less than M outputlines, etc.).

The DCC 550 may, for example, receive channel-selection information fromupstream (e.g., via a path from the satellite) and/or from downstream(e.g., from an in-home device), such channel-selection information beingindicative of such desired channels. For example, the channel selectionprocess may be controlled by the operator, by the customer, by both theoperator and the customer, etc.

The BMR 515 may additionally comprise an N×Demodulator bank (NDB) 560.Such NDB 560 may, for example, operate to receive the output signal(s)c₁ from the DCC 550 and recover the digital information modulated onsuch received signal(s). The output c₁ of the DCC 550 (which maycomprise one or more digital signals output on one or more output lines)may, for example, comprise one or more transport streams, including forexample, media transport streams like MPEG, general data transportstreams, etc.

The BMR 515 may further comprise an IP Bridge (BIP) 570 (or otherprotocol bridge(s)). Such BIP 570 may, for example, operate to receivethe output signal(s) c₂ from the NDB 560 (e.g., including transportstreams and/or other information) and encapsulate such digitalinformation in IP packets. Such encapsulation may, for example, compriseforming the input digital information into IP packets for downstreamcommunication.

The BIP 570 may also, for example, operate to filter the digitalinformation received from the NDB 560. Such filtering may, for example,comprise various types of data filtering. For example, the BIP 570 mayoperate to perform packet identification (PID) filtering to select onlydesired portions of the input data for encapsulation. Such filteringmay, for example, beneficially reduce the amount of IP-encapsulated datathat is sent downstream from the IP-LNB 505 to the customer premises(e.g., only desired packets are communicated on the in-home IP network).Such filtering may, for example, be controlled by the operator (viacontrol signal(s) received via a satellite channel) and/or by the user(via control signal(s) received from in-home user apparatus).

The BIP 570 may then output the IP-encapsulated data on one or moreoutput signals c₃. The BMR 515 may also comprise a communicationinterface module 580. Such a communication interface module 580 mayoperate to interface with a communication network (e.g., an in-homecommunication network). The previous discussion of FIG. 4 presented manynon-limiting examples of such an in-home communication. For example andwithout limitation, the communication interface module 580 may comprisea module that interfaces with an IP network (e.g., operating to performnetwork layer operation, transport layer operation, MAC layer operation,and/or PHY layer operation compatible with the desired network). In suchexample, the communication interface module 580 may operate to interfacewith the IP network by transmitting and/or receiving signals s_(IP)compatible with the IP network.

For example, as discussed above with regard to FIG. 4, the IP-LNB410/415 (and, for example, the IP-LNB 505 of FIG. 5) may operate tocommunicate with an in-home communication network. Such an in-homecommunication network 440 may comprise various characteristics,non-limiting examples of which will now be presented. The network 440may, for example, be a cable-based (e.g., a television coaxialcable-based) network. Such an implementation may, for example, utilizean existing in-home cable television network for the communication of IPsignals. For example, such a cable-based network 440 may be operated inaccordance with a Multimedia over Cable Alliance (MoCA) protocol (e.g.,MoCA 1.0, MoCA 1.1, MoCA 2.0, etc.). Also for example, such acable-based network 440 may be operated in accordance with an ITU G.hnstandard (or a portion thereof), a HomePNA standard (or a portionthereof), etc. In an additional example, the network 440 may be operatedin accordance with an Ethernet standard (e.g., gigabit Ethernet), awireless standard (e.g., 802.11abgn, 802.11ac, etc.), etc. The network440 may also, for example, operate in accordance with a protocol thatincludes aspects of a point-to-point communication protocol, a meshcommunication protocol, a tree-structure communication protocol, etc.The communication interface module 515 of the BMR 515 will, for example,operate in the manner appropriate for conducting communication inaccordance with the appropriate network architecture and/or protocol.

Note that although the communication interface module 580 is shown anddiscussed interfacing with a single communication network (e.g., asingle in-home IP network), the communication interface module 580 mayoperate to communicate with a plurality of different types ofcommunication networks (e.g., simultaneously, pseudo-simultaneously in atimeshare manner, one at a time, etc.). Many examples of such differenttypes of networks were presented above.

The exemplary system 500 is presented to provide non-limiting exemplarycharacteristics of an IP-LNB 505 in accordance with various aspects ofthe present invention. Accordingly, the scope of various aspects of thepresent invention should not be limited by any of such exemplarycharacteristics unless explicitly claimed. For example, the previousdiscussion of the exemplary communication system 500 focuses on asatellite dish system IP-LNB utilization of the exemplary communicationsystem 500. The previously-discussed aspects also generally apply tonon-satellite communication systems, and accordingly, the scope ofvarious aspects of the present invention should not be limited bycharacteristics of satellite communication systems unless explicitlyclaimed.

As discussed above, FIGS. 6 and 7 provide non-limiting examples of thefull-band capture receivers FBCR₁-FBCR_(M) discussed above. Turning toFIG. 6, such figure is a diagram illustrating an exemplary full-bandcapture receiver (FBCR) 600, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention.

The exemplary FBCR 600, for example, comprises a variable gain amplifier610 that receives an IF signal s_(i) (e.g., from an LNB). The output ofthe variable gain amplifier 610 is then provided to a plurality ofwideband fixed-frequency receivers RX₁-RX_(L), each of which is tuned toreceive signals in a respective portion of the full-band of the input IFsignal s_(i). The digitized outputs of such receivers RX₁-RX_(L) arethen combined to yield a digital output d_(i). For example, a firstwideband fixed-frequency receiver RX₁ 620 may comprise an amplifier,mixer, filter and analog-to-digital filter, which are used to processthe input IF signal s_(i) in a first portion of the IF frequency band.Similarly, a second wideband fixed-frequency receiver RX₂ 630 maycomprise an amplifier, mixer, filter and analog-to-digital filter, whichare used to process the input IF signal s_(i) in a second portion of theIF frequency band. Similarly, an L^(th) wideband fixed-frequencyreceiver RX_(L) 640 may comprise an amplifier, mixer, filter andanalog-to-digital filter, which are used to process the input IF signals_(i) in an L^(th) portion of the IF frequency band. Various aspects ofan exemplary FBCR 600 are presented in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/427,088, filed Dec. 23, 2010, and titled “METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR BROADBAND DATA CONVERSION”, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary full-band capture receiver(FBCR) 700, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.The exemplary FBCR 700, for example, comprises a variable gain amplifier710 that receives an IF signal s_(i) (e.g., from an LNB). The output ofthe variable gain amplifier 710 is then provided to a filter 720, whichmay, for example, be utilized for anti-aliasing and equalization. Thefilter 720 outputs a filtered signal, which is then received by awideband analog-to-digital converter 730, which in turn is capable ofdigitizing the filtered IF signal over the entire relevant bandwidth.The A/D converter 730 then outputs a digital output d_(i).

Turning next to FIG. 8, as discussed above, FIG. 8 provides anon-limiting example of a digital polyphase channelizer (DCC) 800. Sucha digital polyphase channelizer 800 may, for example, be utilized in theDCC 550 of FIG. 5 to perform the channelization operation.

The exemplary a polyphase channelizer 800 may, for example, comprise aplurality of filters 820 (h_(o)-h_(M-1)) serving as a polyphasepartition, the inputs to which are controlled by a switching device 810.The outputs of the filters 820 are input to an M-point FFT engine 830,where the outputs of the FFT engine 830 are then selected by switch 840for output. Such switch 840 may, for example operate to multiplex theoutputs from the FFT engine 830 on a single output line.

Turning next to FIG. 9, such figure is a flow diagram illustrating anexemplary method 900 for receiving a broadband signal, in accordancewith various aspects of the present invention. The exemplary method 900may share any or all functional aspects with the systems illustrated inFIGS. 1-8 and discussed previously.

The exemplary method 900 (e.g., the entire method 900 and/or any portionthereof) may be performed by one or more components of a satellite dishsystem (e.g., by components generally collocated with a satellite dish,for example outside the home). As a non-limiting example, any or allfunctional aspects of the exemplary method 900 may be performed by abroadband multichannel receiver (BMR) that may for example becommunicatively coupled to an upstream LNB and a downstreampremises-based IP network (e.g., an in-home cable network).

The exemplary method 900 starts execution at step 905. The exemplarymethod 900 may begin executing in response to any of a variety of causesand/or conditions. For example and without limitation, the method 900may begin executing in response to resetting and/or powering up asatellite dish system (e.g., circuitry generally collocated with asatellite dish). Also for example, the method 900 may begin executing inresponse to a signal received from an external device (e.g., an in-homeconsumer electronic device) indicating that the one or more channels aredesired. Further for example, the method 900 may begin executing inresponse to a signal received from an external device indicating achange in a desired set of channels (e.g., for in-home consumption ofmedia and/or general data associated with such channels). In general,the exemplary method 900 may begin executing at step 905. Accordingly,the scope of various aspects of the present invention should not belimited by characteristics of any particular initiating cause and/orcondition unless explicitly claimed.

The exemplary method 900 may, at step 910, comprise downconverting oneor more received satellite signals (and/or signal received from othersources, like cable sources, terrestrial television broadcast signal,etc.). Step 910 may, for example and without limitation, share any orall downconverting characteristics discussed previously (e.g., withregard to various LNBs 110, 210, 310, 410, and 510 discussed herein).For example, step 910 may comprise receiving one or more RF satellitesignals at a satellite dish, amplifying such received signals, andconverting such signals to one or more IF signals. Note that thereceived and converted signals need not necessarily be RF satellitesignals. In general, step 910 may comprise downconverting one or morereceived signals. Accordingly, the scope of various aspects of thepresent invention should not be limited by characteristics of anyparticular downconversion functionality unless explicitly claimed.

The exemplary method 900 may, at step 920, comprise converting one ormore IF signals (e.g., IF satellite signals) to digital data. Step 920may, for example and without limitation, share any or all functionalaspects with various components of the broadband multichannel receiver(BMR) 515 illustrated in FIG. 5 and discussed previously (e.g.,Full-Band Capture Receiver bank 540, Digital Channelizer 550, andN×Demodulator bank 560). For example and without limitation, step 920may comprise processing a plurality of IF signals (e.g., resulting fromstep 910) and output a digital signal (e.g., one or more digitalInternet Protocol (IP) signals) that communicates desired channels. Ingeneral, step 920 may comprise converting one or more IF signals todigital data. Accordingly, the scope of various aspects of the presentinvention should not be limited by characteristics of any particulartype of signal conversion and/or any particular manner of performingsuch signal conversion unless explicitly claimed.

The exemplary method 900 may, at step 930, comprise encapsulatingdigital data in protocol packets (e.g., IP packets). Step 930 may, forexample and without limitation, share any or all functional aspects withvarious components of the broadband multichannel receiver (BMR) 515illustrated in FIG. 5 and discussed previously (e.g., BIP 570). Forexample and without limitation, step 930 may comprise receiving one ormore digital signals communicating digital data (e.g., resulting fromstep 920), encapsulating such received data in protocol packets (e.g.,IP packets) and outputting one or more digital signals communicatingsuch protocol packets. In general, step 930 may comprise encapsulatingdigital data in protocol packets. Accordingly, the scope of variousaspects of the present invention should not be limited bycharacteristics of any particular type of packet and/or any particularmanner of forming received data into such packets unless explicitlyclaimed.

The exemplary method 900 may, at step 940, comprise communicatingprotocol packets (e.g., IP packets). Step 940 may, for example andwithout limitation, share any or all functional aspects with variouscomponents of the broadband multichannel receiver (BMR) 515 illustratedin FIG. 5 and discussed previously (e.g., communication interface module580). For example and without limitation, step 940 may comprisereceiving one or more digital signals communicatingprotocol-encapsulated data (e.g., IP-encapsulated data and/or otherprotocol-encapsulated data resulting from step 930) and communicatingsuch packets over a communication network. Many non-limiting examples ofsuch networks (e.g., in-home cable networks, premises-based wired and/orwireless networks, etc.) are presented above. In general, step 940 maycomprise communicating protocol packets. Accordingly, the scope ofvarious aspects of the present invention should not be limited bycharacteristics of any particular type of packet and/or any particularmanner of communicating such packets unless explicitly claimed.

In summary, various aspects of the present invention provide a systemand method in a broadband receiver (e.g., a satellite televisionreceiver) for efficiently receiving and processing signals. While theinvention has been described with reference to certain aspects andembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A satellite dish system for receiving satellitesignals, said satellite dish system comprising: at least one modulecomprising a first full-band capture receiver and a second full-bandcapture receiver communicatively coupled to a low noise blockdownconverter (LNB) wherein: said first full-band capture receiver isoperable to, at least: receive a first signal from said LNB; anddigitize the received first signal over all frequencies of the firstsignal that are used for carrying satellite television signal, thedigitization resulting in a first digitized signal; and said secondfull-band capture receiver is operable to, at least: receive a secondsignal from said LNB; and digitize the received second signal over allfrequencies of the second signal that are used for carrying satellitetelevision signal, the digitization resulting in a second digitizedsignal.
 2. The satellite dish system of claim 1, wherein said at leastone module comprises a digital channelizer communicatively coupled tosaid first full-band capture receiver and said second full-band capturereceiver and operable to, at least: receive said first digitized signalfrom said first full-band capture receiver, the received first digitizedsignal comprising a first plurality of channels; receive said seconddigitized signal from said second full-band capture receiver, thereceived second digitized signal comprising a second plurality ofchannels; select a portion of the first plurality of channels and secondplurality of channels; and output one or more digital signals comprisingthe selected portion.
 3. The satellite dish system of claim 2, whereinsaid digital channelizer comprises a polyphase filter and is operable toutilize said polyphase filter to select the portion of the plurality ofchannels.
 4. The satellite dish system of claim 2, wherein said digitalchannelizer comprises an FFT engine and said selection of said portionof the plurality of channels comprises, at least in part; utilization ofsaid FFT engine to calculate a running FFT of the received firstdigitized signal received from said first full-band capture receiver;and selection of outputs of said FFT engine for further processing. 5.The satellite dish system of claim 2, wherein said at least one modulecomprises a demodulator communicatively coupled to said digitalchannelizer and operable to, at least: receive the output one or moredigital signals from said digital channelizer; convert the output one ormore digital signals received from said digital channelizer to one ormore transport streams; and output the one or more transport streams. 6.The satellite dish system of claim 5, wherein said at least one modulecomprises an IP bridge communicatively coupled to said demodulator andoperable to encapsulate at least a portion of the one or more transportstreams in IP packets.
 7. The satellite dish system of claim 2, wheresaid one or more digital signals comprising the selected portion is asingle digital signal.
 8. The satellite dish system of claim 1, whereinsaid first and second full-band capture receivers capture substantiallyidentical frequency bands.
 9. The satellite dish system of claim 1,wherein said at least one module comprises an IP bridge operable toencapsulate at least a portion of the one or more digital signals in IPpackets.
 10. The satellite dish system of claim 9, wherein said IPbridge is operable to perform packet identification (PID) filtering toselect only a portion of the one or more digital signals forencapsulation in said IP packets.
 11. The satellite dish system of claim9, wherein said at least one module comprises a communication interfacemodule operable to communicate the IP packets to a device external tothe satellite dish system.
 12. The satellite dish system of claim 11,wherein said communication interface module is operable to communicatethe IP packets to the device external to the satellite dish systemutilizing a communication protocol specifically adapted forcommunication with in-home devices over a television cable medium. 13.The satellite dish system of claim 1, where the device external to thesatellite dish system is an in-the-home device.
 14. The satellite dishsystem of claim 13, where the device external to the satellite dishsystem is a home gateway.
 15. The satellite dish system of claim 13,where the device external to the satellite dish system is different froma set top box.
 16. The satellite dish system of claim 13, where thedevice external to the satellite dish system is a network controller ofan in-the-home communication network.
 17. The satellite dish system ofclaim 1, where the device external to the satellite dish system is ageneral purpose data communication device that is not specificallyadapted for satellite communication.